Self-releasing battery terminal clamp



July 1, 1941. H. E. SEILS 2,247,452

SELF-RELEASING BATTERY TERMINAL CLAMP Filed April 9, 1940 lllll rlllll Patented July 1, 1941 SELF-RELEASIN G BATTERY TERMIJINAL CLAN/[P Hugo E. Seils, Chicago, 111., assignor of twentysix and two-thirds per cent to Charles M.

Peters, Lansing, 111.

Application April 9, 1940, Serial N 0. 328,709

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a self-releasing clamp and more particularly to a clamp adapted to be readily connected with and disconnected from an object such as the protruding terminal of a storage battery. While the invention is par ticularly applicable to a battery terminal clamp of the kind which is normally permanently connected to a cable and adapted to be releasably connected with a storage battery terminal to provide an electrical connection between the battery and the cable, it should become apparent as the description proceeds that the invention in its broader aspects is equally applicable to other specific uses.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a clamp construction suitable for the purpose above indicated which, by means of relatively simple and easily constructed arrangements, the clamp maybe tightly secured to a terminal, for example, and readily disengaged therefrom regardless of the corrosion or other bonding action which has taken place between the terminal and the clamp. While various arrangements have heretofore been proposed to accomplish the general object set out, none have been particularly successful in practice and an analysis of the prior construction for analogous devices shows either that the cost of construction is prohibitive or that they possess insufficient durability to withstand the adverse conditions under which such devices are used. It is accordingly a more specific object of the invention to provide a clamp having the characteristics above indicated but which may be economically constructed and which possesses advantages of ruggedness and durability not inherent in comparable devices heretofore in existence.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed specification and the accompanying drawing wherein there is specifically disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a top view of a clamp constructed in accordance with the teachings of the invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of the clamp of Figure 1 showing the clamp as applied to a conventional terminal of a storage battery; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side view of a portion of the clamp of Figure 1 before the clamp is assembled for operation.

In the drawing, provided for purp of illustration and wherein similar reference numerals are used to designate corresponding parts throughout the various views, reference numeral H) indicates generally a clamp body which may be cast, forged or otherwise suitably formed, of metal possessing the desired co-eflicient of electrical conductivity and suitably resistant to corrosive actions. Body it is provided with a shank ll having a centrally disposed bore l2 extending inwardly from the outer end thereof and, in accordance with usual practice, a cable 13 may have its end soldered or otherwise suitably secured in the bore. Outwardly of the body Ii cable 53 may be provided with suitable insulation it. At the end of the shank H opposite the cable iii-I i the body It is bifurcated into two arms I5 and it, the first of which is heavied somewhat at its outer end and provided with a threaded transverse aperture ii. The inner surfaces of the arms l5 and it where they leave the shank H are rounded about an axis normal to the plane of the arms and these rounded surfaces, together with the rounded inner end of the shank i I, provided an expansible cylindrical bore it which is adapted to fit over and about a round member to which a clamp is to be applied, such as the terminal It of a storage battery ZiJ.

The outer end of arm it is constructed with the shape shown in full lines in Figure 3. A rounded aperture 2| of substantial size is provided in the arm It adjacent its outer end and the width of the arm is arcuately increased at 22 about the aperture 2|. Aperture 2! is of sufficient size to allow the shank of a cap screw 24 with a flang 25 encircled thereabout to pass through the aperture. In assembling the clamp the shank and flange of the cap screw are passed through the aperture 2! and the end of the screw is screw threaded into the threaded aperture ll of the arm 15. The turning of the screw is continued until the head 26 of the screw engages the outer face of the arm IS in which position of the parts the flange 25 will be inward of the inner face of the arm It. The arm I6 is now collapsed about the shank of the screw between the flange 25 and the head 26 and this may be accomplished by positioning the arm l6 edgewise between an anvil and a hammer with the arcuately shaped edges 22 engaged by the anvil and the hammer. Or, in lieu of the above, the arm l6 may be collapsed by a suitable pressing operation. Whether collapsed by hammering or pressing, the arm It changes in shape from that shown by full lines in Figure 3 to that shown by dotted lines in Figure 3 and by full lines in Figures 1 and 2. It should be observed that the arm is elongated and that the round aperture 2! is changed to an elongated aperture which is designated 3! on the drawing. By referring to Figure 2, it should be apparent that the width of the elongated aperture 3! is substantially equal to the diameter of the shank 24 of the cap screw and that, therefore, as the cap screw is screwed out of the threaded aperture H, the flange 25 will engage the inner face of the arm 16 and positively force the arms l5 and I5 apart. For maximum strength the flange 25 is preferably forged integrally with the shank of the cap screw but it should be obvious that other expedients may be resorted to to provide the flange on the screw shank.

The operation of the above specifically described embodiment of the invention should be readily apparent. With the clamp assembled in the manner indicated and as shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing, the screw 24 is first unscrewed to spread the arms l5 and It a sufflcient distance apart to allow the bore lIB to be received over the battery terminal l9 or other object to which it is to be applied and then by rotating screw 24 in a clockwise direction the arms l5 and IE will be drawn tightly together and the bore l8 tightly clamped about the terminal H9 or other object. When the clamp is to be removed from the terminal or other object, the screw 24 is rotated counter-clockwise and as the screw backs out of the threaded aperture H the flange 25 will engage the inner face of the arm Hi and positively move the arms 15 and i6 apart. This opening movement will be transmitted to the bore 18 and the same will be readily loosened from the terminal or other object. This feature is of particular advantage in connection with the storage battery use as corrosion invariably takes place about the terminals of such batteries which often binds the terminal and clamp together substantially as a unitary member. The clamp may be applied and released from the battery terminal post with the aid of but one toola wrench to engage the head 26 of the cap screw and as there is no danger of slipping between the tool and the battery the danger of injury to the latter is eliminated.

As the arms l5 and 16 are moved away from each other they assume a divergence relative to each other and since the screw 24 is snugly received in the aperture ll the cap end of the screw moves outwardly relative to the bore I8 and shank H and towards the outer end of the arm [6. By reason of the elongated aperture 3! this readjustment of the relative positions of the parts may be effected without undue binding or stress of the parts, thus contributing substantially to the efilcient operation of the clamp.

Conversely, as the arms l5 and I6 are moved together the head end of the screw will move slightly inwardly along the arm l6.

It should now be apparent that this invention accomplishes the objects initially set out. Since the flange 25 may be incorporated as an integral part of the cap screw or otherwise ruggedly secured to the shank of the screw by reason of the fact that the screw and flange may be completely constructed before the same is incorporated in the clamp structure, the clamp may be very rugged and durable. The assembling of the parts involves only the collapsing of the arms I5 and I6 and, as this may be accomplished by a simple blow of the hammer, definite economies may be effected in the production of the clamps. The clamp is operative to forcibly disengage the terminal engaging surface l8 from the terminal post or other object as well as to tightly clamp the surface thereto. This may be effectively accomplished irrespective of the variation in the diameter of the terminal post or other object since the clamping arms I5 and It may be moved towards and away from each other a considerable amount and, when so moved, undue binding in the apertures through which the cap screws pass or large bending stresses are not set up in the screw since the elongation of the aperture 3| allowing the head end of the screw to move relative to the arm it will relieve the binding and bending stresses.

The above specifically described embodiment of the invention should be considered as illustrative only as obviously many changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Reference should accordingly be made to the appended claim in determining the scope of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim is:

A clamp comprising in combination a unitary body having two relatively movable arms adapted to engage opposite sides of a member to which the clamp is to be applied, a threaded aperture in one of said relatively movable arms, the other of said relatively movable arms being initially provided with a large aperture intermediate its ends, a cap screw having a rigidly attached flange about its shank receivable through said enlarged aperture, the threaded end of said cap screw being screw threaded in said threaded aperture, said other of said relatively movable arms being swaged inwardly about said enlarged aperture whereby said enlarged aperture is elongated to an extent whereby the width of the elongation is substantially less than the diameters of the head and flange of said screw, said flange and head of said screw being on opposite sides of the said other of said relatively movable arms.

HUGO E. SEILS. 

